—Christopher Willard, PsyDCambridge, Massachusettsauthor of Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety and Growing Up Mindful
How to Put This Book to Work for Your Family
What Teens Want Most (But Won’t Admit)
1: Anger in Teens: The Problem and the Solution
Where There’s Smoke: What Sparks Teen Anger
Mental Health Factors in Teen Anger
Anger Can Serve as a Mask for Depressed Mood in Teens
Anger Can Give Teens a Way to Escape Intense Experiences of Anxiety
Deciding If It’s Time for Professional Help
It Takes Two to Get Tangled in Anger
The Anatomy of Parent–Teen Communication
What Makes a Communication Breakdown?
The Destructive Dance Between Parents and Teens
What Is Mindfulness and How Does It Help?
But You Already Know Mindfulness
What Positive Psychology Brings to the Table
The PURE Method of Dealing with Communication Breakdowns
2: Presence: Mindfulness of the Senses for Managing Heat from Teens
Mindfulness: The Oxygen of Effective Parenting
Mindful Parenting Self-Assessment
How Mindfulness Soothes Tough Interactions with Teens
More Than Deep: Anchoring with the Breath
Having an In-the-Body Experience During Tough Exchanges with Teens
Seeing Clearly: Concentration and Clarity of Mind
Opening Up: Body Awareness Skills for Defeating Tunnel Vision
The Parental Lap: Acceptance Skills for Holding the Good, the Bad, and the Otherwise
Time Issues: Forget the Cushion, Just Practice!
3: Understanding: Creating Clarity in the Cycle of Teen Anger
The Core Question: Are You Willing?
Identifying Your True North as a Parent
The Heirs of Our Actions: Emotional Patterns in Parenting
Understanding Your Own Emotional Patterning
Sticks and Stones: Understanding How Teen Behavior Affects the Parent
The Universal Errors in How We See Bad Behavior
Distancing Yourself from Distorted Thinking About Your Teen
Learning to See Behind Behavior
The Courage of Compassionate Communication
4: Responsive Leadership in Parenting Angry Teens
Seeing Beyond Power Moves and Pitched Battles
On Target in Managing Your Teen’s Behavior
Speaking the Truth to Your Teen
Attuning to Your Teen By Tuning Out
Being the Calm: Co-Regulation Skills for Managing Behavior
Building Your Teen’s Problem-Solving Skills
Holding the Line with Unsafe Behavior
5: Empowering Change for You and Your Teen
Self-Compassion: Moving Past Self-Blame
Conclusion: Bringing It All Together with the PURE Method